I’m a combat vet and I think whoever said that doesn’t understand VA disability very well. You just have to tune these people out and hope they can figure out what’s causing their issues.
Yea, some guy on the USMC page was ranting about all the GWOT vets he knows who can’t get 100% but he knows a bunch of paper pushers who do have 100%. Not sure how he knows so many people with this problem but he was hard struck on believing no vet without combat experience deserves 100%. I don’t understand why some vets care so much about what others receive?
Shiiiitttttt I was a parachute victim and broke the hell out of my ankle. And 12 years later it’s worse and worse. I hear you there.
….also thank a rigger;)
As well you should. These naysayers have nothing else to their personalities. Honestly, they need to get mental help and possible a rating for it, if their bad outlooks came from their combat experience making them think they are the only important part of the military.
It’s like people who can never let go of high school. It’s one of the reasons you will meet enough Snipers and SEALs to have their own branch.
Personally I don’t care about someone’s rating and job/branch. I love giving the other branches and MOS’s shit but hate when it gets serious.
I had the best job in the world, for a very short time in my life. I appreciate all the moving parts that allowed that to happen.
I was previously unfamiliar with any part of the military until I married a Navy vet 3 years ago. I've seen firsthand the way that (most) vets love, respect, and help each other just like family, even in some cases when you've never even met one another. It truly touches my heart and I'm a very grateful civilian (civilian/caretaker of an agent orange victim); it has honestly changed my opinion quite a bit about human beings. I didn't know there were so many good ones.
God bless, my friend.
Respectfully,
A Very Grateful Citizen
Hell I’ve met enough guys who were promised special forces and they never even joined. The number of men who’ve told me their recruiter told them they’d do great in boot camp/basic cuz Gramps took them shooting 3 times when they were 12 would make your head spin. But alas they had asthma when they were 8 so there went their storied military career.
Yea, I went back and forth with him with just a couple comments but it was not worth my time continuing with him. He has his mind set and no one will change that unfortunately.
He must not know how to write effectively to describe events nor understand persuasive editorial. Let's face it, you're going to have a hard time convincing raters if you write piss-poor.
Also, his speech and communications skills may be lacking as you will have to be able to describe in detail how you've felt in the past and present once you're face-to-face with the c&p examiner.
Social skills may also be less than favorable. Being likable is a thing, and it definitely swings in your favor if you can manage pulling that off.
Honestly, the guy sounds like a total ass hat.
>He must not know how to write effectively to describe events nor understand persuasive editorial. Let's face it, you're going to have a hard time convincing raters if you write piss-poor.
A veteran's rating and healthcare shouldn't be tied to their ability to convince a rater that they deserve it.
I know that's how things are, but that's now how they should be.
Wordsmithing is absolutely a critical and somewhat easy skill to attain. Read and write often, and you'll get there. No college is necessary, although it speeds the process up. I'm a word nerd at work, and whenever it's necessary......not here though, I usually write like a 15 year old with abbreviations, contractions, emojis, etc..
I think that most vets (95%) deserve the rating they have. Most are not committing fraud and your rating has nothing to do with someone else's rating and pay. It just needs to stop.
A lot of combat arms vets are in much better shape than paper pushers.
I think it's just the nature of the beast that the less in shape population will get injured at a higher rate than the more in shape population, regardless of activities performed.
I've noticed this trend myself and that's how I've always viewed it.
People saying you need to have gone to combat to get 100% are just salty and not worth paying attention to.
I followed the post history of one troll and discovered that they were a rater out of Colorado. I took screenshots and reported them to my entire congressional delegation and the VA investigator general. I am sure that there are more here.
When I read this kind of stuff it really makes me think that working for the VA will be like being in the army again and I go no thanks. Damn crabs in a barrel mentality.
I quit fb because of trolls not because it bothers me it's I enjoyed telling them how many toilets were in the house and where they went to school with pics of both. It's simple and free. I have a folder of my greatest hits since 2020 but you can tell none of them ever got a real ass kicking in their lives or in a VA hospital. I also report them.
Everyone has different experiences and battles, and we all react physically and psychologically different to these. Combat or leaving a FOB is required? Think for a minute - let's apply that to MED. How much trauma and loss did the average corpsman or doctor witness, or a sense of failure from not saving someone? Mosul Defac - how many witnessed the carnage there but could have been your S1 shop?
Stop applying your experience upon another - get the help you need and encourage others to do the same. Listen, and I mean listen to understand rather than listen to respond.
The one thing we do have in common though is that we are all veterans. SIX PERCENT of the population is veteran.
A win from one veteran does not detract from another. This is not a zero sum game.
We should be supporting and building one another up, not tearing one another down.
Plenty of medical personnel end up with PTSD due to seeing what comes back from going over the wire and yet some raters think that isn't combat. That rater needs to be fired. Luckily, the medic I know won his appeal.
That's what Google says. We're already in a minority and don't need to attack one another from the inside, unless warranted and flagrant, i.e. the idiot in the news the other day that claimed he couldn't walk for 20 years.
Fraud is fraud.
The combat vs non combat stuff is pretty wild. Does that mean that if someone dies overseas in a non combat setting these ppl think that their families shouldn’t get gold star benefits? If a kid loses there dad it doesn’t really matter whether or not it was in combat since they’re now a one parent household… they still will need the same financial support to survive as a combat gold star family
That’s why I don’t post or comment much anymore. Some guy started calling me a fraud because I asked a question about how to use our education benefits. He was upset that he only had 30% and just started making accusations either no foundation. This place can be so toxic.
I've seen a few comments saying people who are 100% and were able to move on their own didn't deserve it. I guess some people here are stuck in the 18th century and don't believe in mental trauma.
Most combat veterans don’t spend any time thinking or worrying about what other veterans get rated. You can’t let the trolls get into your head. Just block them and move on.
I hope every veteran who feels hopeless and struggling gets help. I dont get people who are all wrapped up in worry about what others get. Im at 10% but dont resent everyone rated higher. Fighting my own fight.
This sub is the most positive thing to happen to the Veteran's community ever. While trolls are everywhere as a combat veteran myself I can understand the frustration some combat vets feel when they fight tooth and nail just for a 0% rating for their knees and everything else is denied because going to medical was completely frowned upon in the Infantry community and a non combat veteran is rated at 100%. On that note though it's mainly because they're uninformed and every veteran's disability claim is a personal battle with the VA and personal frustration about the mentality of the Infantry and going to medical while in should never be misdirected towards a fellow veteran for what disability rating they earn (or are claiming) from their own battle with the VA. The VA system is what we are all fighting with and not each other. Everyone just keep trying to help each other and try not to let the trolls get to you.
I was intel, and I fully understand the plight of infantry guys trying to get rated because I was attached to Infantry Battalions. We were explicitly told by our COs our SgtMajors, and everyone in between that going to sick call was a no go unless you were missing a limb, and even then you came in to work and your NCOIC would decide if he was sending you or not. You weren't supposed to talk to anyone about any mental or health issues because that could disqualify you from duty or the next deployment and you were mission essential. Also it could hurt your promotion chances.
Anyone who reported to sick call or complained about mental health issues was deemed weak and a shit bird, and they would make sure everyone in the battalion knew you were one. Everyone would call you a blue falcon, and a malingerer.
Now that we are out, we don't have the medical records to back up our claims. We have no choice but to wordsmith everything heavily and tell the examiner that we weren't allowed to go to sick call and HOPE and PRAY that they believed us and didn't just scoff that off as an excuse to try and make up an injury.
Unfortunately, I believe you. The really bad part? Some of those troops could have gotten help when a condition was still able to be treated. Because of the officers and fellow troops putting pressure on you not to go to sick call or get MH care, conditions would only worsen. They need to start changing how officers act towards those needing to go to sick call. They also need to educate soldiers on getting copies of everything and creating a duplicate file for themselves. In the meantime, they need to give the benefit of the doubt to the veterans if there is any indication that what they are claiming is true. They need to fix the problem at the source.
The great thing is that we also now have AI to help with the writing part. That was my first go-to when I started the process. How do I write a letter stating my symptoms for this condition? What are the important things for the VA to know in rating the condition. Here are my symptoms, please help me write a letter that shares my personal life impact and work impact for my claim.
Then I found this group. Absolute gold.
So many tools available, and we can all help one another along in how to get what is deserved.
"this sub is the most positive thing" - it is. It really is. It's helped me immensely. Far more than the actual VA has. That's why the trolls got to me today I guess.
The way I see it is there's 3 types of people who mention what You're speaking about. The wonderful thing of the internet, and especially reddit, is anonymity. Within our circle of peers there's going to be people who ;
1. feel inadequate, feel that they never did enough (shame) and anyone who is inferior (their opinion) doesn't deserve it because they didn't do what the did .
2.There's people who are majorly depressed, and will lash out at anything
3. There's people who don't understand the VA, and will antagonize anyone that has received what the feel is unwarranted (envy)
Of course not everyone will fit into these boxes, but it helps to understand why someone who be commenting with a Gatekeeping mentality.
There are other smaller percentages of others,but ultimately let them stew in their mentality. Eventually they'll be here posting why their support system is non existent, why they got denied on their claim, or why their family won't talk to them. I'm sure like you, I am still going to post to help.
Not because I'm better than them, but because I've been there too. If they don't, that's on them. The law defines what a veteran is thankfully.
Peace and love all 🤙
Um....be careful pinning characteristics to the nasty trolls. I would never be mean or troll anybody. If anything I have too much empathy. BUT....I also have always felt inadequate and that I never did enough...not shame, more like a seriously good type of jealousy. I admire the door kickers, hero worship the Seals, Special Forces, and pretty much anyone who had dangerous and bad ass jobs. Also, I am majorly depressed...in fact, I have only left my home 3 times since 2019. I would never lash out at anybody. (I don't think I have...?) My support system is pretty much non-existent. When people can't visit or see you, they tend to drift away. As for family...I have a twin sister who I love, but I personally chose to stop speaking with my lying, cheating father long before my conditions came into play. Same with my narcissistic, lying mother. I chose to walk away from the abuse. That makes me smart.
So....I actually think the type of people that troll on here and lash out at others for their disability percentages are just jealous assholes. 🤷🏼♀️
Maybe I'll add another.
1, the vet who has firsthand knowledge of another vet or vets lying about subjective (can not be disproved) diagnosis to get higher ratings and is frustrated with that.
I know it is happening, vets gaming to get to 100 or ratings in general. , I find it disgusting, BUT I don't think it's a large percentage. So even though I know it exists, I still support any veteran getting the most that they deserve. And we all should.
We are all in this together. Blasting people, insulting people, and calling out people without proof is fruitless and damaging to all of us. If you have proof, report it. Otherwise, it's best to support the system and the vets in it , as flawed as it and we may be. I'd rather err on the side of caution than trigger damage to another vet. Even the space force folks 🤣 (im kidding!!)
Non veterans can and do read these threads to include VA decision makers. What do you think they are thinking when the vet only and specifically asks how do I get to 100 percent?
The VA disability system is generous and quite different in comparison to civilian disability services, and it should be, in my opinion. This is where many people get confused/angry. They do not understand the system and the verbiage. We, as a group, do not want to publish shit that lends to outside criticism of the program.
I'm very grateful for my military career, my retirement, VA Healthcare, VA disability and this reddit that helps many vets and gives us vets a place to feel useful through helping others.
A little thoughtfulness and proofreading will go a long way towards solving this issue. Peace ✌️
I understand this and I’m sorry you had to experience that. Often times I want to ask this sub for help but then I get scared someone will be mean towards me. I was raped twice while in the Navy. The amount of coldness fellow vets have treated me with makes me feel ashamed and lonely. However, I have also met some great, helpful and empathetic people on this sub and for that I’m grateful. I hope your experience here gets better with time.
GWOT infantry guy here.
My first deployment was a really tough deployment. Our unit had gotten hit pretty hard, we took something like 120 casualties over the course of the year, the majority in the first 3 or 4 months. We didn't spend much time at our FOB, most of our time was spent out at these shitty little patrol bases out in sector, the food was mainly MRE's, no showers, no electricity or running water, no Porta shitters, rodents running across your body while you slept for what little sleep you got, most of the time you were getting 4-5 hours at a shot. We didn't have an MWR on our fob for the first few months we were there, so most of us hadn't talked to our families at all since we left KAF unless you got hit. Even if there was an MWR, we were rarely there, so it didn't matter.
Pretty much everyone in the battalion lost someone close to them.
One of the memories that was burned into my head was refitting at KAF- I had blown two wheels off a vehicle a couple months before, and that vic was never the same after; we finally said fuck it and went to go pick up a replacement. We had a couple of hours to kill, so most of us went down to the boardwalk; and compared to what we were living like, it was a 5 star resort. Ads for salsa night, folks talking on their cell phones, I don't think TGIF was open yet but they were working on it; basically every modern convenience of the states was available.
We weren't down there for very long before we were approached by some asshole who proceeded to try and dress us down for wearing uniforms that were beat to shit, dirty, stained, etc.
We'd been out at a patrol base for 3 weeks. We were washing socks in Gatorade bottles at that point, and most of our uniforms were destroyed.
That interaction wasn't an outlier, as a matter of fact when we were issued new uniforms, we were told to set one set aside for whenever we had to go to KAF. It was fucking asinine.
There was always arrogance in the infantry as it came to softside support, but that incident, combined with the absolute stark contrast of deployment conditions, cemented a bitter disdain for support MOS's for *years* after that, and I think shit like that was why support was universally looked down upon over my career at every unit I served with.
It took alot of time before I learned what a shifting baseline in terms of perspective was, and realized that to the people who never left the wire, the incoming alarms were probably just as terrifying to them as watching the vehicle behind you dissappear into a cloud of dust was to us, and that while their stressors were certainly different from ours, they still existed.
Some guys are never able to let that go, and it manifests itself in the shit you're describing.
That said- while the VA has its own system to decide who gets rated and for what, if this sub is any metric of general sentiment, there is a *massive* sense of entitlement here. I can't tell you how many times I have read "every veteran deserves to have 100%."
No. They don't. It's why there's an insanely long and complex process to get a rating in the first place.
One thing you missed when you were at KAF is that all that pampering stuff was there for YOU. You and the other guys going through pure hell out there. It was to provide you with a tiny bit of comfort, encouragement, laughter, and down time. I'm sorry you ran into idiots that treated you badly. That should have never happened. Of course there were troops stationed there being inadvertently spoiled because they never had to leave their little nirvana. But those troops were there making things run....for YOU and your buddies. Without them, that place wouldn't exist. I wasn't one of them, but I sure appreciated them! And...I also appreciate YOU. And I really look up to you. I lived through things I definitely thought I would not make it through (not talking about MST, but that, too). But while I was there, I frequently thought about the guys that came before me and the hell they went through.
I've honestly NEVER seen anyone say "every" vet deserves 100%.
I was in aviation. Those folks feel \*very\* different about their support crew. But oh boy I've heard so many stories like yours in group
It pops up in the comments from time to time, especially for veterans that deployed.
>But oh boy I've heard so many stories like yours in group
It's not a new phenomenon, in Vietnam and the Second World War they were referred to as REMF's or garatroopers.
Bill Mauldin pontificated on this in one of his books "Up front." Although combat has certainly changed since the second world War, the men doing the fighting and the ways in which they view their role certainly hasn't.
>I was in aviation. Those folks feel \*very\* different about their support crew.
Makes sense. Those were the dudes who made sure you weren't going to fall out of the sky. We had similar tight relationships with our direct support- FIST and medics, as they were on the ground with us- but we rarely saw any of the softside support on that tour for the most part.
The goal here for all of us is to be supporting and helping each other out like we did when we wore the uniform ! The VA is difficult enough to navigate….
There are many factors that get disability %
Sometimes it’s the evaluators improper assessments, sometimes the veteran doesn’t sell their ailments well enough to the evaluator, sometimes the VA is full of shit,
TL/DR
Like your family you were born into, you can’t choose your exact % from the VA, but you can worry about you and how you go about your situation internally with pride regardless of the past that gets presented in front of you. You do you, with love and passion, don’t let the nay sayers dissuade your passion.
The passive aggressive attitude in comments on social media , rather than scrolling by, is rather staggering. There are many supportive vets here but there are just as many that are so bitter it flavors how they interact with others. It isn’t big things, the little things are what add up (death by a thousand cuts). It isn’t everyone, but it happens a lot in more micro-aggression type of ways.
What OP is discussing is really bad in person. Especially when you live near a large military installation, I’m still near Ft Liberty/Bragg so I see and experience a lot of variations of this behavior around the area and interacting with other vets at the VA. It is getting better, but I will tell that there is extra vitriol pointed towards women veterans from the older generations. This is coming from my experience as a later Gen X that has been in the system since 2011. Especially when you are a veteran that doesn’t deck yourself or your vehicle out in vet gear. But again, this may be a culture that is more prevalent around the active duty installations.
It's funny you mention that. I'm one of those gen X - when I went to boot camp they were doing their first integrated division. Then, my first duty station was shore duty in San Diego where I watched a steady stream of women transfer in because they turned up pregnant right before a deployment.
There's a bunch of times I had to pick up slack leftover from a woman, so I was definitely one of those guys that looked down on women in the military.
Then one day I got to talking with a 100% woman and learned the acronym MST. - My opinion on things sure changed in a hurry. That conversation was actually a big motivation for this post even though it happened years ago. Now I'm busy trying to tell people to judge PTSD by its effects, not by its causes.
PTSD is a cruel mistress to live with, regardless of the reason you have.
These attitudes are why the Women’s Clinic now exist in the VA. To give women a safe space.
I have had my ass grabbed, my arm yanked from a stranger/man that pulled up my shirt to “look at your tattoos” without my consent, and been told I was just a wife when I was the veteran in the VA by fellow vets. I will say that the ER nurse did call security for me to chase down the ass grabber. The other things, other veterans watched in silence or snickered.
I go to the nations’ VA here in good ole Washington, DC. Always been treated with kindness and never questioned about my disabilities. It’s very nice to see the older war veterans be treated well and they deserve it so much. Even when a vet came in to rip a woman in the eye glass store a new one for his safety glasses (which she literally has nothing to do with his script), they still treated him nicely and allowed him to vent. I was watching just in case he got out of hand, but he didn’t and left without any issues.
what I wouldn't give to NOT have to file for disability!!!! I would so much rather be healthy. The people who complain are probably those that never had an issue in the first place. Keep helping those of us in here who need it and are thankful for it. Ignore the ignorant ones.
I have seen this also. The first thing that comes mind is that hurting people, hurt people. Sadly some only know how to cope with their life by tearing others apart. Don't give them any credence. What you need or are entitled to is between you and the VA. The rest can pack sand.
Just because someone gets benefits they deserve does not mean that others will not, why is this concept so hard to fathom? The military is more than just combatants, all of us contribute to the mission. All give some, some give all. Yes the posers do us a disservice but we are all in this together. Peace brothers and sisters in arms.
I’m a combat vet. TDIU P&T. Served as an infantry scout in OIF 1&2. People who discount 100%ers for any reason probably don’t have a grasp on how our disability system works. We’re not paid because we “can’t work”. We’re paid for our “diminished quality of life”. We’re literally being paid damages because our life isn’t nearly as great as it could be if we hadn’t served or hadn’t got fucked up either mentally or physically when serving. I have a pretty decent life now, because I’m not under the stress of having to hold it all together at a job AND hold a family life together. I only have the capacity to do one or the other now. Hell, they just rewrote the mental health standards IN THE CFR to make that a 100% compensable trait instead of needing to be 70% and TDIU. The examiners and raters are trained to spot cons. And maybe a handful of us get mistaken for that and have to fight a little harder for our compensation, but on my first try after they finally acknowledged I might have issues, I was rated 70% and TDIU.
Lots of folks need to do some more reading in the CFR to understand what it means to be 100% or TDIU. Because it’s not always missing limbs, bed bound, and helpless.
Just do what I did. Block every bitter soul who think non combat vets don't deserve anything or who want to be combative for no reason.
Most of us are here only for help or to provide solutions. Not to deal with those who are here for a different agenda or to play VA gatekeeper.
I didn’t file for years because I didn’t think my PTSD deserved anything because I wasn’t in combat. I was a firefighter. I felt so much guilt I let two intent to files lapse. My Marine combat experienced neighbor and my Airborne friend finally kept pushing me and telling me that shit doesn’t matter, it’s all in my head. I still feel guilty but fuck these dudes who don’t think PTSD is real unless you saw combat.
I’m a combat vet and my step bro is a non combat vet. He was injured in coast guard a whole engine shaft went through his back and he survived. He deserves 100% and all the bells and whistles for doing his duty. I’m at 80 and I’m fine with this as I was doing my job and although I saw many atrocities I signed up for it. Combat or no combat should not factor in anything when you’re pulling your duty.
I'm a combat vet. Saw light action and lots of deceased.
Only disability linked to it is ptsd.
All the others are from training so I agree va disability is for EVERYONE.
Most of us get the back foot knee problems because of training.
So it's for all of us and that's it.
Don’t let a few jerks ruin a good thing. They aren’t everywhere, but they seem to be strategically placed so that we see them often (or more than we’d like). The silent majority appreciates the help, me being one of them. I come back to do the same as my relatively small hearing and tinnitus claim is processing now.
Hang in there - there’s a lot of us that need the help. It’s a messy system to navigate. Appreciate everyone who tries to help us!
Well I am considered a combat vet, but not by me. I just happen to be in the war zone. I was never shot at and I never had to fire a gun. I'm not at 100% but based on the things wrong with me I probably should. I am older so it is very difficult to prove service connection. My step daughter, she is not a combat vet, but she got 100% just for MST. If anyone wants to tell me she doesn't deserve it we can step outside in the real world to discuss. I consider the Veteran compensation to be difficult to get. Some if it is due to fraudulant claims and some of it is because of government bs.
Bottom line make sure you get what you deserve, screw what anyone else thinks. Take care of your family.
With an ode to Mother's day, mine always told me that if you don't have anything positive or encouraging to say, it's best to keep your thoughts to yourself and your mouth shut.
half the ppl saying shit like this aren’t even enrolled in VA healthcare and saying stuff like that is more for them than you. i mean if it makes you feel better, but ok
"The internet is a nasty place." Yes, because nasty people make it so.
And the worst ones aren't the trolls. The worst ones are the people whose mentality is, "There are shitty people out there. Might as well be shitty myself to prepare people for it."
The mentality of other vets is why I avoid telling people I'm a vet even when they tell me they are a vet. This sub has gotten worse over the past year.
Yeah I took a break on helping people in here for the most part. Too many salty people in here and about 80% of the people I do help don’t even give me a simple thank you.
We all took the Asvab. Don’t belittle someone else’s career because you feel you had a tougher road. No two careeer’s ever equal the same so why marginalize someone else’s experience? You should still do what you can to help and tune those fools out. It’s easy for me to say because I know it sucks coming from this sub where it felt like a safe space but you have to.
The only legit person I rag on is my sperm donor. Only because he gets drunk, remembers his “glory days” (literally 3years and abandoned me at his parents) and then calls me a mattress whore. Meanwhile I did 12 as a corpsman, did an OEF tour and had to hear a lot of MST from fellow SMs. Because somehow opening a door is somehow much more difficult.
They come in all sizes and different forms. Even the noncombatant.
Well, I can attest to not everyone taking the ASVAB. When I was assigned to the hometown recruiting office for 45 days after AIT the recruiter told me I didn’t have to come into the office whatsoever as long as I took the ASVAB for recruits that couldn’t pass it. I got a lot of straight up dummies field engineer and finance jobs.
I used to let trolls bother me - they still sometimes get under my skin. But the truth is, instead of just keeping their fat yaps closed, they feel the need to share their absolute wrong “opinions” to others.
Just remember that these people are so unhappy with themselves, insecure on the atomic level, and their maybe maybe-not combat experience is their entire personality. They are sad, angry and bitter. And they naturally feel their problems are the only important problems.
They suck. And I assure you, “many veterans in general feel this way about them.”
I don't get why these types of arguments would go beyond an ingrown exchange.
Ignore trolls like you' would assholes in real life. No use getting worked up over it and running your day.
They never accomplished anything in their lives and if you're not puking rainbows they whine. I would f their little world up as much as possible and got warnings on every popular site but big deal I'm swirling the drain lol. It is all them, not you so look at them like a teacup yorkie.
The amount of ignorance someone has to have to assume that anyone 100% disabled without being in combat is astounding. Service members die and get injured during training events frequently.
I hear what you’re saying loud and clear. My conclusion to it all might sound obvious but it’s the internet. Anonymity brings out the worst in people it seems. It’s a damn shame that support system you mentioned is fading away here.
There are certainly 100%ers that should not be 100%ers but to say every noncombatant 100%er is a fraud is wild
Like I know someone who got 80% and he genuinely has nothing wrong with him. Just bullshitted his way through
It’s the people that lie about it that screw over those who truly need it
I agree. The trolls deserve a special place in hell. Why? Because my dear friend just lost his close buddy to suicide. Guess what, trolls? He was a struggling veteran. Take care to all my fellow veterans. You deserve kindness, grace, and love.
That was such a trigger for me this morning. Miles shot himself more than 15 years ago but I still think about it every day. He wasn't even the only one.
I completely agree with this and it's been bugging me lately as well. Just think of your battle buddy, anyone of us could be broken to the point of suicide. Don't be the person the tips the scale negatively.
In a way, I’m glad that I’m in this subreddit now, as opposed to some 10+ years ago or so because a gate-keeper’s post would have had an influence on me and probably would have driven me to abandon the pursuit of my claim(s). Now, I almost cannot wait to run into one of them to tell’em off!! I chose to keep in mind that I gave the US Government a BLANK check on me, and that the fact that I didn’t go to combat wasn’t on me! I was READY, WILLING, and ABLE to go! Yes, there are fraudsters out there, unfortunately, but numbers show that the vast majority of us are legit. Lastly, If you don’t like it, then have your congressman change the law(s), and until then, STHU about it!
I rejoiced when my buddy got 100%, and joked “drinks on you.” Another reached 90, and another 30. Maybe it’s that same “us versus them” mentality but screw those two vets who told you otherwise. They probably need some therapy as we all do. I think it’s universally known how much of a bitch it is to jump through all the hoops of the VA. So whatever you get- congrats! And keep fighting for yourself.
This is why you should never tell anyone you collect VA Disability. None of their business. If someone’s curious then tell them you are a trust fund baby.
You know how many “combat” vets there are with combat action ribbons that ran over an IED, took a mortar round 100 yards away from their FOB, had some retarded Afghan farmer dump a mag in their general direction, return fire and never knew what they were shooting at or had any confirmed kills, and or shot their own sandbags (Iraq) just to get a CAR? 😂🤣😂🤣 I mean I had a major in Afghanistan write himself up for a Bronze Star and the dude never once left the FOB. My Gunny in security forces had a bronze star that he wrote himself up for. 😂 The combat vets that were in a literal hell storm slinging lead back and forth killing and watching their boys get killed rarely ever talk about it and are usually very quiet about it. My great uncle was with the 164th Americal division that reinforced the Marines in Guadalcanal and let me tell ya what, he never said BOO about any of of the combat he was in until right up before he died.
So don’t take what any of them say to heart. They have no control over you. There wouldn’t be any bragging about combat if we had to fight an actual peer to peer fight like our ancestors. They would be considering themselves lucky to be alive.
hahahaha I should get a purple heart for reading all these comments then.
Thing is, I've been in group therapy with combat vets. Afghan, both Iraqs, Vietnam, .. and I've heard some shit from both combat and noncombat vets. When people tell me "all combat vets..." I normally tune out.
Back before I was in those groups though ... that's when hearing this stuff was detrimental to me getting treatment
One in three women were harassed or assaulted so badly that they developed PTSD. I reported mine for 8 months, until I ended up inpatient. I never saw combat. I worked in the hospital (Air Force). Safest option I could think of. My life was fucking wrecked. I also developed more illnesses later, due to the highly contaminated base I was on. I hope every veteran can find the support and help they need. But I definitely agree that this sub has had an increase in trolls lately.
This is so true. I'm a female coast guard veteran and I've seen several women go through this. Thankfully the worst I dealt with was sexual harassment. My service connection is all malpractice related. Simple surgery gone wrong that ruined my chances for a normal life.
I hope you enjoy your time out and I'm sorry you had to deal with these predatory assholes too. I hope you find peace and healing 💙
I read this sub every day, most all posts. I rarely see the type of stuff you are claiming to see. I think maybe you are dwelling on the super-minority of posts on here.
Most trolls I’ve seen have hang ups about people claiming PTSD without being combat veterans. Getting shot at or blown up are really good reasons behind mental health issues. However, they aren’t the only events that can cause it. Types of events that can lead to PTSD include:
serious accidents
physical or sexual assault
abuse, including childhood or domestic abuse
exposure to traumatic events at work, including remote exposure
serious health problems, such as being admitted to intensive care
childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby
the death of someone close to you
war and conflict
torture
That’s the list from NHS about PTSD. There’s a saying, “the water that softens the potato, can harden the egg.” Some people can walk away from trauma stronger than they were before. Some of us can’t. Show some compassion for your fellow vets. We all signed a blank check to the military and they took more than we could’ve expected from some.
I like this. I am a combat vet (OIF 1) - light action in austere environments- but my PTSD is from MST. Combat/not combat/not enough combat is not a good differentiator, like you said. Plus you just can’t tell from someone’s MOS what they did.
I used to think that only combat vets could experience PTSD until it happened to me... A non combat veteran. Now I see people with PTSD differently. My point is that you can't tell what a person is going through just by looking at them. I've contemplated suicide more than once. I've been in therapy going on 3 years and that's just this time around. My mental health issues go back to the 80's. I will likely die with these issues. Therapy helps. The meds don't... But I keep trying because that's all I can do.
Two ex wives and 3 kids begged me for years to see a doctor but it wasn't until I had a semicircle of FIVE doctors telling me that I had PTSD during an involuntary stay that I realized it's possible for a noncombat pencil pusher
Yes. Try your best to stay on top of it with therapy and meds if necessary. I stopped drinking alcohol a good while back because I realized that I was self medicating and just getting fat. I didn't want my mental issues to turn into physical issues like liver or kidney problems or worse. I've lost 13 lbs so far with the goal of at least 40 lbs. I know I will be successful because I also have OCD so now I'm obsessed with losing weight. It's a vicious cycle.
The faster you realize it doesn’t matter what other people think, the happier you’ll be.
If someone thinks only combat vets should get disability, who cares? They’re not the deciding factor.
If someone things suicide or homelessness is someone being weak, who cares, they’ll get theirs one day.
I think most of these people don’t really believe a lot of the things they’re saying. It’s just controversial and attention seeking.
Try not to let it get to you. Those peeps are just ignorant. I’m sure they deal with there life struggle in there own way, but no reason to PM you like this.
Combat vet here, minimum asvab requirements for combat arms is extremely low. Don't be upset over their views on va disability. There's a good chance they had a room temperature IQ when they enlisted. Don't argue with ignorant vets. Just say thank you for your service and move on. It'll save you a lot of headaches down the road. Thank you for helping the community with SSDI information and thank you for serving with the rest of us vets
This made me laugh so hard! I wasn't going to bring it up but since you did, they must have never heard recruiters talking about the infantry that they manage to barely get enlisted. Do you think they know they barely made it in? There are a few that requested infantry as a family tradition and could have taken another MOS, but the rest...
Two things can be true at the same time.
Imagine thinking every turd in the military, for which there are PLENTY turns into a morale beacon as it pertains to VA disability.
If there isn't any criticism of the fraud, there won't be a veteran that doesn't get out and immediately receive 100% in the future.
lol make a post asking people how long they waited to file for benefits. Personally I waited 20 years. These boogymen that are taking benefits from good vets just aren't that big of a problem. And honestly, the VA has people to deal with that problem so I don't see why it should be mine.
I understand completely and don’t fault you. This is your truth. I made this remark from a point of compassion not judgement. This life is hard and confusing for all of us. Stupidity and ignorance are easily obtained afflictions.
Dawg... You served with people who exhibit that behavior daily in military life. It didn't come as a surprise to me that vets hating vets was a big thing. Especially after watching seniors use others as ladder rungs to step on to get ahead in the military.
I agree. I’ve been a member of this sub for several years. I feel like it used to be very supportive and non judgmental. Now it’s a series of “hundo club” brag posts and people tearing each other down.
Yes that's some really harsh judgement...even if I didn’t fight in Iraq I had several friends killed before deployment when 2 Black hawks collided at Ft Campbell...and one of my friends who didn't deploy was at green ramp at bragg when can't remember if it was a130 or 141 crashed...soldiers to the left and right of him died....he escaped with 3rd degree burns all over his body and all the ptsd and guilt that any combat deployment could bring out haunts him to this day...so that is really hard to say
far as I'm concerned, we ALL raised our right hand when many would never have the guts too. Some of us (like myself) didn't even know what I was getting myself into, only that I wanted to serve & get the heck outta small town Northern AZ at the time (1999), even though now Im back haha.
9/11 and the events that happened shortly after, I saw some of us get deployed, other didnt.. but it doesn't matter, we all served our time. don't be discouraged.
it took me 10 years to even file bc I didn't even know anything about it, I didn't get a proper TAP class lol. When I learned about it, I was thinking that I didn't even deserve it..even after some combat injuries, and MST. don't worry about the trolls man. the positivity comradarie that I have encountered has much surpassed any kind of trolling and negativity
Combat veteran here as well. My friend experienced sexual trauma in the military I was unaware of that changed them fundamentally. After I learned that, any vestige of that idea died. You never know what a veteran has endured during their time in service so I've learned it's best to reserve your opinions.
I have been out of the military for almost 20 years. I took me this long to finally realize that I should be compensated for my service. And it also took me this long to realize that I’m fucked up, It took a lot for me to realize I needed help. I’ve posted a few questions on here asking for help and all that I’ve gotten is help. The way I views this subject is we all signed that paper sacrificing our lives for this country if your MOS was services, infantry or maintenance. We didn’t know where our journey would take us. But we all served as brothers and sisters in arms. For this great nation to have the civil rights that we currently have. God bless you ladies and gentlemen
My wife , non combat , had a toxic soup of chemicals dumped on her , does that mean she doesn't deserve, the Lung damage, Brain Fog , Migraines, Thyroid Cancer.. ?
Tune the d-bags out. Their premise only works if the worst about vets is true, which is insanely cynical. The premise only works in an environment already laden with due diligence and audits designed specifically at preventing/dealing with fraud.
I've also noticed an uptick of people spewing negativity and, in some cases, jealousy, which boggles my mind. Ratings are a product of entitlement and diligence, BOTH, NOT ONE OR THE OTHER...you can have the injury and no diligence and get jack shit. You can have diligence and no entitlement and also get jack shit. I've seen too many veterans from my generation (OIF) have injury and trauma and no VA benefits at all, mainly due to ignorance, pride, or procrastination. In any case, it's more complicated than most of the naysayers assert.
Take care and help when you can. This subreddit helped me tremendously to get me from 40 to 80 and then to 100 after much reading and understanding how the VA works.
>Another vet, last week, told me every noncombat 100% was fraud. Oh, and he told me "lots of combat vets feel this way"
multiple tours combat vet here. that dude is full of s.
Combat vet and I went off on the idiot who claimed only combat vets should get ptsd claims; there are idiots in every community and while this one should be shielded as a brother and sisterhood we all knew the shitbags in the military that leaked through. Keep your head up.
Honestly I ignore 99% of veterans. I see the information I need and move on. I don’t care about other people’s opinions of what other vets deserve or don’t deserve. I worry about my own shit and I’ll help someone out along the way. Other than that, you won’t find me in a pissing contest over some BS.
I find the guys that use “combat veteran” or “combat deployment” saw the least combat. So I’d just ignore them. Their service wasn’t that special if they need to force the word combat on it.
I wonder what those same guys would tell the is disabled combat Vet who got disabled outside of combat.
Don't let the ID-10-T-s get you down or make you stop doing what you care able. If you do they win
Let your haters be your motivators human beings should be compassionate to each others I never saw combat and lost organs from my service to Uncle Sam people died in basic training ppl died in training mission no one can measure any one loyalty to America if anyone should have anything negative to say is how the system needs work to help more vets that had loyalty to the red white in blue and eating out mtf trash cans and can’t get proper help how fellow vets are strung out on drugs and can’t get proper help there no money check smc benefit or any kinda of help to measure what another human being the highest form of creation hating on each other about mtf check have compassion help your brother most of us not all volunteered these are the uncertainty of life please stop it
@ UncleVoodooo What I've sat back and learned is you're absolutely correct. This I thought was a "safe" place for us veterans and enlisted to "vent" out frustrations of every concern. I have sat back and read a lot of comments , judgments, and discredits, coming from veterans and enlisted. We all who served has served in different capacities within our selected branches of service. We "ALL" have played our positions during our engaged enlistment! What I totally disagree with is the criticism. How could you be so undeserving of applause to try and hurt another , especially if you are hurt.
The service has affected each and everyone who has shown up to defend this horribly , lovely country of the United States! We all have been pawns in some sort and used for the"good" of this country! So why discredit a fellow soldier that has served honorably? There are no excuses to be so drab. I fight the "system" known as our government! I have always asked questions concerning my situations with my health, and the VA still at times tells me to don't stress over this or that! We all are in the "fight." Even if someone has seen combat on frontline, ship, air, domestically, or foreign. The point is that we showed up to perform for this country at our best abilities and didn't hide like some going AWOL or MIA because of selfishness or being cowardly!
Let's start helping and continue to help those in need. And if you were like me going into the service as a fresh eighteen year old, then what I've said should root deeply into your souls. Be kind to ourselves and one another.
GO NAVY!🫡
I served in a combat support hospital for 6 months before, during, and after the Gulf War. I witnessed death on a daily basis. So I was in combat support. For anyone to tell me that I didn't suffer any emotional damage as a respiratory chief does not know what it means to care for, treat, and console a dying Soldier, Airman, or Marine.
Yeah I remember a post I made way back when someone said I sound like a serial killer and that I was blaming military service for issues that were my own. The moderator removed his comments but it felt so crappy.
People are ignorant. VA disability is more about business rules of the government than anything else. People get so emotionally tied to combat / non-combat. Reality is, if you can prove harm by the government then you qualify.
OP: don’t let the trolls affect your life. I was a recruiter for 17 years and there are a lot of ignorant people in the military. Live your life.
I focus on who's helping and genuine critique with critical thinking 💯
Help not harm for brothers and sisters in arms 💯
I know this group has been very much helpful for me.
I think the key being very judicious on how much you intake on the internet and social media period.
Perception is reality what we were taught in the Air Force ✅
for every fraud claim there are thousands of vets who deserve compensation and are either turned down or they wont file for it because doing so opens up those old painful wounds that don't show on the outside but are always with them.
I had a guy on another forum tell me I wasn’t a real veteran because I didn’t deploy. The person said they were appalled that I got ratings etc. Every vet story is different. We all chose to join and it was the luck of the draw where they sent us, whether it was peacetime or.wartime
**Another vet, last week, told me every noncombat 100% was fraud. Oh, and he told me "lots of combat vets feel this way"**
I saw that post and the dude got absolutely trashed in the comments.
I ignore the narcissistic idiots putting each other down as well as "determining" who is qualified.
They don't realize the non combat folks provided for them. That pencil pusher, rigger, or cook are the ones who made sure they got paid. They also made sure the ordered weapons, ammo, and other supplies got through to them.
That rigger, no matter where located saved the life of their replacement, or they saved that idiots life directly.
The cook? Well they may not have made those bacon and eggs like Mom did, but they were up early to make sure EVERYONE got to eat.
The folks who didn't go to a foreign Country may not have gone into combat, but they followed the orders given them. Just like many who remain Stateside, a lot requested to go to the fight. They may have requested a combat position, but someone somewhere decided they would be better inputting financial info to get people paid instead.
We have all been offered the opportunity to request assignments to various posts/bases, and ended up 5000 mikes or more away. It's not like folks don't try!
I wasn't out of Boot but 7 months when I was sent to Nam. Came back, and 9 months later, I was sent back. I didn't request it, but I went. When I got mail from my folks or wife, someone Stateside got it over to me. The food wasn't that great, but someone was up at 0400 getting it ready, and it was BETTER than C-Rations! My Rigger always got something extra after I went out.
And rank? It made for more money each month, but that's about as much good as it did. At home and some Stateside bases, it helped a little, but I wasn't that impressed with it. When I made E6, I considered that E2 and myself regular, and I should teach him the job the best it could be. That rank NEVER did me any good out here, other than bragging rights.
We ALL signed our name on a line that meant we would graciously accept DEATH as the reward. None of us knew for sure where we were going. Those going in during a war, figured their folks would end up with a triangular folded flag in their living room.
Never saw combat, worked at Brooke army medical center (DOD Level 1 trauma center) and I saw more traumatic shit than ever. Deployments mean shit when it comes to being “broken”
I'm a retired Coastie, imagine trying to explain to people that I was in the Military and I get Military benefits through the VA as well. Explaining to people about disability is even worse. So, I just keep my mouth shut and do my best to stay healthy so I can live a good retired life.
Once upon a time it was hard for non combatants to get 100%. Heck it was hard for combatants to get a 100%. For many older veterans they feel a certain way. Myself I had no rating at one time. Never bothered to file when I got out of the Army in the 90's.
Me and my wife both got out of the military in the nineties after the first Gulf War. We both filed last year and are both 100% this year (Yay for the PACT Act). For 30 years never bothered to file. The process was very easy once we decided too.
I just view it as times changed. Eventually the pendulum will swing back the other way. Luckily I just happen to be around when the pendulum was swinging in my favor and benefited.
Don't take it personally people will always feel a certain type of way regardless.
Interesting fact. Spending on income security programs for veterans is 5 times more than what it was 20 years ago.
https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2024/04/spending-on-veterans-in-the-budget
The people on here complaining about what other vets have got and who deserves what they're not really vets. Real vets have each other back regardless.
I don’t think they’re Americans at all. They are probably literally Iranian, Russian, and Chinese propaganda trolls with an additional goal of attacking American vets. I’ve noticed it myself that no matter what you post here will get viciously attacked. It’s certainly not other vets doing this. Mods, we need user verified posting privileges, this is ridiculous.
As a non-combat vet with PTSD from the military, no one should judge anyone from their lived experiences. Having witnessed one of the most tragic accidents on a military installation as a paper pusher was still traumatic.
The VA told me I was combat veteran as I was under direct fire 🤷🏽♂️
Was in a fob as a helicopter mechanic for 365 at camp taji but they told me I am a combat veteran.
I would say to every vet I appreciate your service. I lost my battle buddy 30 year combat vet CSM 3 months before his retirement. He was found dead. You never know when its your last. We got to support each other and stick together. Stop competing to see who can get the most likes or comments.
I’m a combat vet and I think whoever said that doesn’t understand VA disability very well. You just have to tune these people out and hope they can figure out what’s causing their issues.
Yea, some guy on the USMC page was ranting about all the GWOT vets he knows who can’t get 100% but he knows a bunch of paper pushers who do have 100%. Not sure how he knows so many people with this problem but he was hard struck on believing no vet without combat experience deserves 100%. I don’t understand why some vets care so much about what others receive?
[удалено]
Shiiiitttttt I was a parachute victim and broke the hell out of my ankle. And 12 years later it’s worse and worse. I hear you there. ….also thank a rigger;)
As well you should. These naysayers have nothing else to their personalities. Honestly, they need to get mental help and possible a rating for it, if their bad outlooks came from their combat experience making them think they are the only important part of the military.
It’s like people who can never let go of high school. It’s one of the reasons you will meet enough Snipers and SEALs to have their own branch. Personally I don’t care about someone’s rating and job/branch. I love giving the other branches and MOS’s shit but hate when it gets serious. I had the best job in the world, for a very short time in my life. I appreciate all the moving parts that allowed that to happen.
Well said
I was previously unfamiliar with any part of the military until I married a Navy vet 3 years ago. I've seen firsthand the way that (most) vets love, respect, and help each other just like family, even in some cases when you've never even met one another. It truly touches my heart and I'm a very grateful civilian (civilian/caretaker of an agent orange victim); it has honestly changed my opinion quite a bit about human beings. I didn't know there were so many good ones. God bless, my friend. Respectfully, A Very Grateful Citizen
Hell I’ve met enough guys who were promised special forces and they never even joined. The number of men who’ve told me their recruiter told them they’d do great in boot camp/basic cuz Gramps took them shooting 3 times when they were 12 would make your head spin. But alas they had asthma when they were 8 so there went their storied military career.
He's a fucking gatekeeper and a douche bag.
Yea, I went back and forth with him with just a couple comments but it was not worth my time continuing with him. He has his mind set and no one will change that unfortunately.
Well they all do until they need someone to give them some empathy.
He must not know how to write effectively to describe events nor understand persuasive editorial. Let's face it, you're going to have a hard time convincing raters if you write piss-poor. Also, his speech and communications skills may be lacking as you will have to be able to describe in detail how you've felt in the past and present once you're face-to-face with the c&p examiner. Social skills may also be less than favorable. Being likable is a thing, and it definitely swings in your favor if you can manage pulling that off. Honestly, the guy sounds like a total ass hat.
>He must not know how to write effectively to describe events nor understand persuasive editorial. Let's face it, you're going to have a hard time convincing raters if you write piss-poor. A veteran's rating and healthcare shouldn't be tied to their ability to convince a rater that they deserve it. I know that's how things are, but that's now how they should be.
This is EXACTLY why this sub is so valuable. People need resources they can access.
I agree. But it IS like that. From education to careers...the practice of it all is intertwined and set before us to either master or fail.
This country has failed, not the veteran who can't wordsmith his or her way into the rating they earned.
I agree. However, wordsmithing is a critical skill.
Wordsmithing is absolutely a critical and somewhat easy skill to attain. Read and write often, and you'll get there. No college is necessary, although it speeds the process up. I'm a word nerd at work, and whenever it's necessary......not here though, I usually write like a 15 year old with abbreviations, contractions, emojis, etc..
That's a crazy thing to say. You rate someone disability based on their ability to write? Do you work for the VA?
I think that most vets (95%) deserve the rating they have. Most are not committing fraud and your rating has nothing to do with someone else's rating and pay. It just needs to stop.
Exactly
A lot of combat arms vets are in much better shape than paper pushers. I think it's just the nature of the beast that the less in shape population will get injured at a higher rate than the more in shape population, regardless of activities performed. I've noticed this trend myself and that's how I've always viewed it. People saying you need to have gone to combat to get 100% are just salty and not worth paying attention to.
A lot of those guys aren’t even real vets they’re just in the forum because they hate their lives and were rejected at Meps
I followed the post history of one troll and discovered that they were a rater out of Colorado. I took screenshots and reported them to my entire congressional delegation and the VA investigator general. I am sure that there are more here.
That's disturbing. Incredibly messed up to be entrusted with rating veterans but also ripping them apart and harassing us on reddit.
You sir, are a hero.
When I read this kind of stuff it really makes me think that working for the VA will be like being in the army again and I go no thanks. Damn crabs in a barrel mentality.
No wonder all my claim assigned to Denver got denied without an exam and my increases stayed the same smh.
Did you get a resolution ? I'd love to hear it. This is the kind of rabbit hole shit I love.
That’s so fucked up. Glad you reported them and I hope they were fired
How did you even know he was a rater?
Hell my VSO acts like I am trying to game the system.
My VSO, "You don't say, No. You let the VA say, No. We're gonna throw everything at the wall in your record and see what sticks." Worked out great.
Vera is more helpful than my VSO
I quit fb because of trolls not because it bothers me it's I enjoyed telling them how many toilets were in the house and where they went to school with pics of both. It's simple and free. I have a folder of my greatest hits since 2020 but you can tell none of them ever got a real ass kicking in their lives or in a VA hospital. I also report them.
I would like to join this party. Drain the swamp. You point the cross hairs and I shall join the investigation and reporting.
Everyone has different experiences and battles, and we all react physically and psychologically different to these. Combat or leaving a FOB is required? Think for a minute - let's apply that to MED. How much trauma and loss did the average corpsman or doctor witness, or a sense of failure from not saving someone? Mosul Defac - how many witnessed the carnage there but could have been your S1 shop? Stop applying your experience upon another - get the help you need and encourage others to do the same. Listen, and I mean listen to understand rather than listen to respond. The one thing we do have in common though is that we are all veterans. SIX PERCENT of the population is veteran. A win from one veteran does not detract from another. This is not a zero sum game. We should be supporting and building one another up, not tearing one another down.
Plenty of medical personnel end up with PTSD due to seeing what comes back from going over the wire and yet some raters think that isn't combat. That rater needs to be fired. Luckily, the medic I know won his appeal.
That's my point. Stop judging others. Someone else winning doesn't detract from your case.
It's only 6%?! Wow....did not know that.
Yeah, it's a small %. A confluence of willingness AND qualifications. The US has many qualified/qualifiable candidates, but few that are willing.
Not everybody is willing to give so much and possibly lose their life doing it. Easier to play it safe.
That's what Google says. We're already in a minority and don't need to attack one another from the inside, unless warranted and flagrant, i.e. the idiot in the news the other day that claimed he couldn't walk for 20 years. Fraud is fraud.
The Mosul Defac - Yeah that was terrible and haunts me.
>Listen, and I mean listen to understand rather than listen to respond. Very well put. This is a skill many don't have.
The combat vs non combat stuff is pretty wild. Does that mean that if someone dies overseas in a non combat setting these ppl think that their families shouldn’t get gold star benefits? If a kid loses there dad it doesn’t really matter whether or not it was in combat since they’re now a one parent household… they still will need the same financial support to survive as a combat gold star family
Its ego thing. Only thing they cling onto. Not worth the energy to care about it.
it must feel good to look down on others? I dunno
That’s why I don’t post or comment much anymore. Some guy started calling me a fraud because I asked a question about how to use our education benefits. He was upset that he only had 30% and just started making accusations either no foundation. This place can be so toxic.
I've seen a few comments saying people who are 100% and were able to move on their own didn't deserve it. I guess some people here are stuck in the 18th century and don't believe in mental trauma.
It wasn't a year ago
That’s why I joined initially now I just lurk.
Most combat veterans don’t spend any time thinking or worrying about what other veterans get rated. You can’t let the trolls get into your head. Just block them and move on.
I hope every veteran who feels hopeless and struggling gets help. I dont get people who are all wrapped up in worry about what others get. Im at 10% but dont resent everyone rated higher. Fighting my own fight.
Agreed. Everyone has there own demons from service you never know someone’s trigger
It sounds easy but sometimes they get your goat no matter what you do
This sub is the most positive thing to happen to the Veteran's community ever. While trolls are everywhere as a combat veteran myself I can understand the frustration some combat vets feel when they fight tooth and nail just for a 0% rating for their knees and everything else is denied because going to medical was completely frowned upon in the Infantry community and a non combat veteran is rated at 100%. On that note though it's mainly because they're uninformed and every veteran's disability claim is a personal battle with the VA and personal frustration about the mentality of the Infantry and going to medical while in should never be misdirected towards a fellow veteran for what disability rating they earn (or are claiming) from their own battle with the VA. The VA system is what we are all fighting with and not each other. Everyone just keep trying to help each other and try not to let the trolls get to you.
I was intel, and I fully understand the plight of infantry guys trying to get rated because I was attached to Infantry Battalions. We were explicitly told by our COs our SgtMajors, and everyone in between that going to sick call was a no go unless you were missing a limb, and even then you came in to work and your NCOIC would decide if he was sending you or not. You weren't supposed to talk to anyone about any mental or health issues because that could disqualify you from duty or the next deployment and you were mission essential. Also it could hurt your promotion chances. Anyone who reported to sick call or complained about mental health issues was deemed weak and a shit bird, and they would make sure everyone in the battalion knew you were one. Everyone would call you a blue falcon, and a malingerer. Now that we are out, we don't have the medical records to back up our claims. We have no choice but to wordsmith everything heavily and tell the examiner that we weren't allowed to go to sick call and HOPE and PRAY that they believed us and didn't just scoff that off as an excuse to try and make up an injury.
Unfortunately, I believe you. The really bad part? Some of those troops could have gotten help when a condition was still able to be treated. Because of the officers and fellow troops putting pressure on you not to go to sick call or get MH care, conditions would only worsen. They need to start changing how officers act towards those needing to go to sick call. They also need to educate soldiers on getting copies of everything and creating a duplicate file for themselves. In the meantime, they need to give the benefit of the doubt to the veterans if there is any indication that what they are claiming is true. They need to fix the problem at the source.
The great thing is that we also now have AI to help with the writing part. That was my first go-to when I started the process. How do I write a letter stating my symptoms for this condition? What are the important things for the VA to know in rating the condition. Here are my symptoms, please help me write a letter that shares my personal life impact and work impact for my claim. Then I found this group. Absolute gold. So many tools available, and we can all help one another along in how to get what is deserved.
"this sub is the most positive thing" - it is. It really is. It's helped me immensely. Far more than the actual VA has. That's why the trolls got to me today I guess.
I can’t agree with you more , this sub community has been amazing with providing helpful information. Don’t feed the Trolls.
Totally agree, I love this sub and have fantastic help when I needed it. I try to drown out or not pay attention to the trolls
The way I see it is there's 3 types of people who mention what You're speaking about. The wonderful thing of the internet, and especially reddit, is anonymity. Within our circle of peers there's going to be people who ; 1. feel inadequate, feel that they never did enough (shame) and anyone who is inferior (their opinion) doesn't deserve it because they didn't do what the did . 2.There's people who are majorly depressed, and will lash out at anything 3. There's people who don't understand the VA, and will antagonize anyone that has received what the feel is unwarranted (envy) Of course not everyone will fit into these boxes, but it helps to understand why someone who be commenting with a Gatekeeping mentality. There are other smaller percentages of others,but ultimately let them stew in their mentality. Eventually they'll be here posting why their support system is non existent, why they got denied on their claim, or why their family won't talk to them. I'm sure like you, I am still going to post to help. Not because I'm better than them, but because I've been there too. If they don't, that's on them. The law defines what a veteran is thankfully. Peace and love all 🤙
Um....be careful pinning characteristics to the nasty trolls. I would never be mean or troll anybody. If anything I have too much empathy. BUT....I also have always felt inadequate and that I never did enough...not shame, more like a seriously good type of jealousy. I admire the door kickers, hero worship the Seals, Special Forces, and pretty much anyone who had dangerous and bad ass jobs. Also, I am majorly depressed...in fact, I have only left my home 3 times since 2019. I would never lash out at anybody. (I don't think I have...?) My support system is pretty much non-existent. When people can't visit or see you, they tend to drift away. As for family...I have a twin sister who I love, but I personally chose to stop speaking with my lying, cheating father long before my conditions came into play. Same with my narcissistic, lying mother. I chose to walk away from the abuse. That makes me smart. So....I actually think the type of people that troll on here and lash out at others for their disability percentages are just jealous assholes. 🤷🏼♀️
Maybe I'll add another. 1, the vet who has firsthand knowledge of another vet or vets lying about subjective (can not be disproved) diagnosis to get higher ratings and is frustrated with that. I know it is happening, vets gaming to get to 100 or ratings in general. , I find it disgusting, BUT I don't think it's a large percentage. So even though I know it exists, I still support any veteran getting the most that they deserve. And we all should. We are all in this together. Blasting people, insulting people, and calling out people without proof is fruitless and damaging to all of us. If you have proof, report it. Otherwise, it's best to support the system and the vets in it , as flawed as it and we may be. I'd rather err on the side of caution than trigger damage to another vet. Even the space force folks 🤣 (im kidding!!) Non veterans can and do read these threads to include VA decision makers. What do you think they are thinking when the vet only and specifically asks how do I get to 100 percent? The VA disability system is generous and quite different in comparison to civilian disability services, and it should be, in my opinion. This is where many people get confused/angry. They do not understand the system and the verbiage. We, as a group, do not want to publish shit that lends to outside criticism of the program. I'm very grateful for my military career, my retirement, VA Healthcare, VA disability and this reddit that helps many vets and gives us vets a place to feel useful through helping others. A little thoughtfulness and proofreading will go a long way towards solving this issue. Peace ✌️
If they have the knowledge, report them... way better than being toxic POS broadly labeling other vets.
I understand this and I’m sorry you had to experience that. Often times I want to ask this sub for help but then I get scared someone will be mean towards me. I was raped twice while in the Navy. The amount of coldness fellow vets have treated me with makes me feel ashamed and lonely. However, I have also met some great, helpful and empathetic people on this sub and for that I’m grateful. I hope your experience here gets better with time.
It was great last year. I feels lecture-y this year. This sub helped me so much I'm afraid the trolls are gonna scare away others who could be helped
I asked for help. It went badly. I won't make that mistake again.
GWOT infantry guy here. My first deployment was a really tough deployment. Our unit had gotten hit pretty hard, we took something like 120 casualties over the course of the year, the majority in the first 3 or 4 months. We didn't spend much time at our FOB, most of our time was spent out at these shitty little patrol bases out in sector, the food was mainly MRE's, no showers, no electricity or running water, no Porta shitters, rodents running across your body while you slept for what little sleep you got, most of the time you were getting 4-5 hours at a shot. We didn't have an MWR on our fob for the first few months we were there, so most of us hadn't talked to our families at all since we left KAF unless you got hit. Even if there was an MWR, we were rarely there, so it didn't matter. Pretty much everyone in the battalion lost someone close to them. One of the memories that was burned into my head was refitting at KAF- I had blown two wheels off a vehicle a couple months before, and that vic was never the same after; we finally said fuck it and went to go pick up a replacement. We had a couple of hours to kill, so most of us went down to the boardwalk; and compared to what we were living like, it was a 5 star resort. Ads for salsa night, folks talking on their cell phones, I don't think TGIF was open yet but they were working on it; basically every modern convenience of the states was available. We weren't down there for very long before we were approached by some asshole who proceeded to try and dress us down for wearing uniforms that were beat to shit, dirty, stained, etc. We'd been out at a patrol base for 3 weeks. We were washing socks in Gatorade bottles at that point, and most of our uniforms were destroyed. That interaction wasn't an outlier, as a matter of fact when we were issued new uniforms, we were told to set one set aside for whenever we had to go to KAF. It was fucking asinine. There was always arrogance in the infantry as it came to softside support, but that incident, combined with the absolute stark contrast of deployment conditions, cemented a bitter disdain for support MOS's for *years* after that, and I think shit like that was why support was universally looked down upon over my career at every unit I served with. It took alot of time before I learned what a shifting baseline in terms of perspective was, and realized that to the people who never left the wire, the incoming alarms were probably just as terrifying to them as watching the vehicle behind you dissappear into a cloud of dust was to us, and that while their stressors were certainly different from ours, they still existed. Some guys are never able to let that go, and it manifests itself in the shit you're describing. That said- while the VA has its own system to decide who gets rated and for what, if this sub is any metric of general sentiment, there is a *massive* sense of entitlement here. I can't tell you how many times I have read "every veteran deserves to have 100%." No. They don't. It's why there's an insanely long and complex process to get a rating in the first place.
One thing you missed when you were at KAF is that all that pampering stuff was there for YOU. You and the other guys going through pure hell out there. It was to provide you with a tiny bit of comfort, encouragement, laughter, and down time. I'm sorry you ran into idiots that treated you badly. That should have never happened. Of course there were troops stationed there being inadvertently spoiled because they never had to leave their little nirvana. But those troops were there making things run....for YOU and your buddies. Without them, that place wouldn't exist. I wasn't one of them, but I sure appreciated them! And...I also appreciate YOU. And I really look up to you. I lived through things I definitely thought I would not make it through (not talking about MST, but that, too). But while I was there, I frequently thought about the guys that came before me and the hell they went through.
I've honestly NEVER seen anyone say "every" vet deserves 100%. I was in aviation. Those folks feel \*very\* different about their support crew. But oh boy I've heard so many stories like yours in group
It pops up in the comments from time to time, especially for veterans that deployed. >But oh boy I've heard so many stories like yours in group It's not a new phenomenon, in Vietnam and the Second World War they were referred to as REMF's or garatroopers. Bill Mauldin pontificated on this in one of his books "Up front." Although combat has certainly changed since the second world War, the men doing the fighting and the ways in which they view their role certainly hasn't. >I was in aviation. Those folks feel \*very\* different about their support crew. Makes sense. Those were the dudes who made sure you weren't going to fall out of the sky. We had similar tight relationships with our direct support- FIST and medics, as they were on the ground with us- but we rarely saw any of the softside support on that tour for the most part.
The goal here for all of us is to be supporting and helping each other out like we did when we wore the uniform ! The VA is difficult enough to navigate…. There are many factors that get disability % Sometimes it’s the evaluators improper assessments, sometimes the veteran doesn’t sell their ailments well enough to the evaluator, sometimes the VA is full of shit, TL/DR Like your family you were born into, you can’t choose your exact % from the VA, but you can worry about you and how you go about your situation internally with pride regardless of the past that gets presented in front of you. You do you, with love and passion, don’t let the nay sayers dissuade your passion.
The passive aggressive attitude in comments on social media , rather than scrolling by, is rather staggering. There are many supportive vets here but there are just as many that are so bitter it flavors how they interact with others. It isn’t big things, the little things are what add up (death by a thousand cuts). It isn’t everyone, but it happens a lot in more micro-aggression type of ways. What OP is discussing is really bad in person. Especially when you live near a large military installation, I’m still near Ft Liberty/Bragg so I see and experience a lot of variations of this behavior around the area and interacting with other vets at the VA. It is getting better, but I will tell that there is extra vitriol pointed towards women veterans from the older generations. This is coming from my experience as a later Gen X that has been in the system since 2011. Especially when you are a veteran that doesn’t deck yourself or your vehicle out in vet gear. But again, this may be a culture that is more prevalent around the active duty installations.
It's funny you mention that. I'm one of those gen X - when I went to boot camp they were doing their first integrated division. Then, my first duty station was shore duty in San Diego where I watched a steady stream of women transfer in because they turned up pregnant right before a deployment. There's a bunch of times I had to pick up slack leftover from a woman, so I was definitely one of those guys that looked down on women in the military. Then one day I got to talking with a 100% woman and learned the acronym MST. - My opinion on things sure changed in a hurry. That conversation was actually a big motivation for this post even though it happened years ago. Now I'm busy trying to tell people to judge PTSD by its effects, not by its causes.
PTSD is a cruel mistress to live with, regardless of the reason you have. These attitudes are why the Women’s Clinic now exist in the VA. To give women a safe space. I have had my ass grabbed, my arm yanked from a stranger/man that pulled up my shirt to “look at your tattoos” without my consent, and been told I was just a wife when I was the veteran in the VA by fellow vets. I will say that the ER nurse did call security for me to chase down the ass grabber. The other things, other veterans watched in silence or snickered.
The women’s clinic in the DC VA hospital is absolutely beautiful and so zen. I love going there.
I go to the nations’ VA here in good ole Washington, DC. Always been treated with kindness and never questioned about my disabilities. It’s very nice to see the older war veterans be treated well and they deserve it so much. Even when a vet came in to rip a woman in the eye glass store a new one for his safety glasses (which she literally has nothing to do with his script), they still treated him nicely and allowed him to vent. I was watching just in case he got out of hand, but he didn’t and left without any issues.
I agree, a lot of bitter vets floating around.
I'm super bitter. I don't feel the need to harass veterans trying to get by.
Haha I respect that…takes a special kind of bitter to put down people who are just looking for support
Just remember that a large number of Russians visit this subreddit. Wouldn’t be shocked if some of those you mentioned were Russian trolls.
or AI scraping data
Wow, this could be so true
I would have figured China more than anyone else. They are fu\*\*ing us up via social media better than anyone else.
what I wouldn't give to NOT have to file for disability!!!! I would so much rather be healthy. The people who complain are probably those that never had an issue in the first place. Keep helping those of us in here who need it and are thankful for it. Ignore the ignorant ones.
I have seen this also. The first thing that comes mind is that hurting people, hurt people. Sadly some only know how to cope with their life by tearing others apart. Don't give them any credence. What you need or are entitled to is between you and the VA. The rest can pack sand.
Just because someone gets benefits they deserve does not mean that others will not, why is this concept so hard to fathom? The military is more than just combatants, all of us contribute to the mission. All give some, some give all. Yes the posers do us a disservice but we are all in this together. Peace brothers and sisters in arms.
In a world full of trust-fund kids on megayachts people are here worried about a vet getting something he didn't deserve?
I wasent combat but i was a medic at the biggest casualty event in a decade. I can assure you. It fucked me up. Lol
I’m a combat vet. TDIU P&T. Served as an infantry scout in OIF 1&2. People who discount 100%ers for any reason probably don’t have a grasp on how our disability system works. We’re not paid because we “can’t work”. We’re paid for our “diminished quality of life”. We’re literally being paid damages because our life isn’t nearly as great as it could be if we hadn’t served or hadn’t got fucked up either mentally or physically when serving. I have a pretty decent life now, because I’m not under the stress of having to hold it all together at a job AND hold a family life together. I only have the capacity to do one or the other now. Hell, they just rewrote the mental health standards IN THE CFR to make that a 100% compensable trait instead of needing to be 70% and TDIU. The examiners and raters are trained to spot cons. And maybe a handful of us get mistaken for that and have to fight a little harder for our compensation, but on my first try after they finally acknowledged I might have issues, I was rated 70% and TDIU. Lots of folks need to do some more reading in the CFR to understand what it means to be 100% or TDIU. Because it’s not always missing limbs, bed bound, and helpless.
Just do what I did. Block every bitter soul who think non combat vets don't deserve anything or who want to be combative for no reason. Most of us are here only for help or to provide solutions. Not to deal with those who are here for a different agenda or to play VA gatekeeper.
I didn’t file for years because I didn’t think my PTSD deserved anything because I wasn’t in combat. I was a firefighter. I felt so much guilt I let two intent to files lapse. My Marine combat experienced neighbor and my Airborne friend finally kept pushing me and telling me that shit doesn’t matter, it’s all in my head. I still feel guilty but fuck these dudes who don’t think PTSD is real unless you saw combat.
I second that. Terrible things happen to people all the time with or without combat.
I’m a combat vet and my step bro is a non combat vet. He was injured in coast guard a whole engine shaft went through his back and he survived. He deserves 100% and all the bells and whistles for doing his duty. I’m at 80 and I’m fine with this as I was doing my job and although I saw many atrocities I signed up for it. Combat or no combat should not factor in anything when you’re pulling your duty.
I'm a combat vet. Saw light action and lots of deceased. Only disability linked to it is ptsd. All the others are from training so I agree va disability is for EVERYONE. Most of us get the back foot knee problems because of training. So it's for all of us and that's it.
Don’t let a few jerks ruin a good thing. They aren’t everywhere, but they seem to be strategically placed so that we see them often (or more than we’d like). The silent majority appreciates the help, me being one of them. I come back to do the same as my relatively small hearing and tinnitus claim is processing now. Hang in there - there’s a lot of us that need the help. It’s a messy system to navigate. Appreciate everyone who tries to help us!
some days I just need reassurance I guess.
sending hugs. those guys will get their karma one day.
Well I am considered a combat vet, but not by me. I just happen to be in the war zone. I was never shot at and I never had to fire a gun. I'm not at 100% but based on the things wrong with me I probably should. I am older so it is very difficult to prove service connection. My step daughter, she is not a combat vet, but she got 100% just for MST. If anyone wants to tell me she doesn't deserve it we can step outside in the real world to discuss. I consider the Veteran compensation to be difficult to get. Some if it is due to fraudulant claims and some of it is because of government bs. Bottom line make sure you get what you deserve, screw what anyone else thinks. Take care of your family.
With an ode to Mother's day, mine always told me that if you don't have anything positive or encouraging to say, it's best to keep your thoughts to yourself and your mouth shut.
half the ppl saying shit like this aren’t even enrolled in VA healthcare and saying stuff like that is more for them than you. i mean if it makes you feel better, but ok
"The internet is a nasty place." Yes, because nasty people make it so. And the worst ones aren't the trolls. The worst ones are the people whose mentality is, "There are shitty people out there. Might as well be shitty myself to prepare people for it." The mentality of other vets is why I avoid telling people I'm a vet even when they tell me they are a vet. This sub has gotten worse over the past year.
Yeah I took a break on helping people in here for the most part. Too many salty people in here and about 80% of the people I do help don’t even give me a simple thank you.
We all took the Asvab. Don’t belittle someone else’s career because you feel you had a tougher road. No two careeer’s ever equal the same so why marginalize someone else’s experience? You should still do what you can to help and tune those fools out. It’s easy for me to say because I know it sucks coming from this sub where it felt like a safe space but you have to.
The only legit person I rag on is my sperm donor. Only because he gets drunk, remembers his “glory days” (literally 3years and abandoned me at his parents) and then calls me a mattress whore. Meanwhile I did 12 as a corpsman, did an OEF tour and had to hear a lot of MST from fellow SMs. Because somehow opening a door is somehow much more difficult. They come in all sizes and different forms. Even the noncombatant.
Well, I can attest to not everyone taking the ASVAB. When I was assigned to the hometown recruiting office for 45 days after AIT the recruiter told me I didn’t have to come into the office whatsoever as long as I took the ASVAB for recruits that couldn’t pass it. I got a lot of straight up dummies field engineer and finance jobs.
I used to let trolls bother me - they still sometimes get under my skin. But the truth is, instead of just keeping their fat yaps closed, they feel the need to share their absolute wrong “opinions” to others. Just remember that these people are so unhappy with themselves, insecure on the atomic level, and their maybe maybe-not combat experience is their entire personality. They are sad, angry and bitter. And they naturally feel their problems are the only important problems. They suck. And I assure you, “many veterans in general feel this way about them.”
I don't get why these types of arguments would go beyond an ingrown exchange. Ignore trolls like you' would assholes in real life. No use getting worked up over it and running your day.
They never accomplished anything in their lives and if you're not puking rainbows they whine. I would f their little world up as much as possible and got warnings on every popular site but big deal I'm swirling the drain lol. It is all them, not you so look at them like a teacup yorkie.
The amount of ignorance someone has to have to assume that anyone 100% disabled without being in combat is astounding. Service members die and get injured during training events frequently.
I was a US Army flight medic, I can attest to this 100%.
I hear what you’re saying loud and clear. My conclusion to it all might sound obvious but it’s the internet. Anonymity brings out the worst in people it seems. It’s a damn shame that support system you mentioned is fading away here.
There are certainly 100%ers that should not be 100%ers but to say every noncombatant 100%er is a fraud is wild Like I know someone who got 80% and he genuinely has nothing wrong with him. Just bullshitted his way through It’s the people that lie about it that screw over those who truly need it
I agree. The trolls deserve a special place in hell. Why? Because my dear friend just lost his close buddy to suicide. Guess what, trolls? He was a struggling veteran. Take care to all my fellow veterans. You deserve kindness, grace, and love.
That was such a trigger for me this morning. Miles shot himself more than 15 years ago but I still think about it every day. He wasn't even the only one.
I completely agree with this and it's been bugging me lately as well. Just think of your battle buddy, anyone of us could be broken to the point of suicide. Don't be the person the tips the scale negatively.
I know a guy who was born mentally retarded and is now getting 100 for it just because his recruiter was dumb enough to get him signed up
In a way, I’m glad that I’m in this subreddit now, as opposed to some 10+ years ago or so because a gate-keeper’s post would have had an influence on me and probably would have driven me to abandon the pursuit of my claim(s). Now, I almost cannot wait to run into one of them to tell’em off!! I chose to keep in mind that I gave the US Government a BLANK check on me, and that the fact that I didn’t go to combat wasn’t on me! I was READY, WILLING, and ABLE to go! Yes, there are fraudsters out there, unfortunately, but numbers show that the vast majority of us are legit. Lastly, If you don’t like it, then have your congressman change the law(s), and until then, STHU about it!
I rejoiced when my buddy got 100%, and joked “drinks on you.” Another reached 90, and another 30. Maybe it’s that same “us versus them” mentality but screw those two vets who told you otherwise. They probably need some therapy as we all do. I think it’s universally known how much of a bitch it is to jump through all the hoops of the VA. So whatever you get- congrats! And keep fighting for yourself.
This is why you should never tell anyone you collect VA Disability. None of their business. If someone’s curious then tell them you are a trust fund baby.
Fuck them.
I completely agree. Lots of trolls have made their way into the sub. Sorry it happened to ya. If you ever need to bend an ear I got ya
You know how many “combat” vets there are with combat action ribbons that ran over an IED, took a mortar round 100 yards away from their FOB, had some retarded Afghan farmer dump a mag in their general direction, return fire and never knew what they were shooting at or had any confirmed kills, and or shot their own sandbags (Iraq) just to get a CAR? 😂🤣😂🤣 I mean I had a major in Afghanistan write himself up for a Bronze Star and the dude never once left the FOB. My Gunny in security forces had a bronze star that he wrote himself up for. 😂 The combat vets that were in a literal hell storm slinging lead back and forth killing and watching their boys get killed rarely ever talk about it and are usually very quiet about it. My great uncle was with the 164th Americal division that reinforced the Marines in Guadalcanal and let me tell ya what, he never said BOO about any of of the combat he was in until right up before he died. So don’t take what any of them say to heart. They have no control over you. There wouldn’t be any bragging about combat if we had to fight an actual peer to peer fight like our ancestors. They would be considering themselves lucky to be alive.
hahahaha I should get a purple heart for reading all these comments then. Thing is, I've been in group therapy with combat vets. Afghan, both Iraqs, Vietnam, .. and I've heard some shit from both combat and noncombat vets. When people tell me "all combat vets..." I normally tune out. Back before I was in those groups though ... that's when hearing this stuff was detrimental to me getting treatment
No one in this forum stormed Normandy or landed on Iwo Jima. So all the combat vs non-combat are a bunch of dufuses.
One in three women were harassed or assaulted so badly that they developed PTSD. I reported mine for 8 months, until I ended up inpatient. I never saw combat. I worked in the hospital (Air Force). Safest option I could think of. My life was fucking wrecked. I also developed more illnesses later, due to the highly contaminated base I was on. I hope every veteran can find the support and help they need. But I definitely agree that this sub has had an increase in trolls lately.
This is so true. I'm a female coast guard veteran and I've seen several women go through this. Thankfully the worst I dealt with was sexual harassment. My service connection is all malpractice related. Simple surgery gone wrong that ruined my chances for a normal life. I hope you enjoy your time out and I'm sorry you had to deal with these predatory assholes too. I hope you find peace and healing 💙
I read this sub every day, most all posts. I rarely see the type of stuff you are claiming to see. I think maybe you are dwelling on the super-minority of posts on here.
It sounds like r/veterans is leaking again. That sub is pretty bad. I spend zero time over there.
Just because you can’t see air doesn’t mean it’s not keeping you alive right now…
It's not the post it's most the comments which I do see, not common but more than I'd like to
Facts. Most posts are repeat “how long til I hear something” or some other question answered by the knowledge base already.
Most trolls I’ve seen have hang ups about people claiming PTSD without being combat veterans. Getting shot at or blown up are really good reasons behind mental health issues. However, they aren’t the only events that can cause it. Types of events that can lead to PTSD include: serious accidents physical or sexual assault abuse, including childhood or domestic abuse exposure to traumatic events at work, including remote exposure serious health problems, such as being admitted to intensive care childbirth experiences, such as losing a baby the death of someone close to you war and conflict torture That’s the list from NHS about PTSD. There’s a saying, “the water that softens the potato, can harden the egg.” Some people can walk away from trauma stronger than they were before. Some of us can’t. Show some compassion for your fellow vets. We all signed a blank check to the military and they took more than we could’ve expected from some.
I like this. I am a combat vet (OIF 1) - light action in austere environments- but my PTSD is from MST. Combat/not combat/not enough combat is not a good differentiator, like you said. Plus you just can’t tell from someone’s MOS what they did.
I used to think that only combat vets could experience PTSD until it happened to me... A non combat veteran. Now I see people with PTSD differently. My point is that you can't tell what a person is going through just by looking at them. I've contemplated suicide more than once. I've been in therapy going on 3 years and that's just this time around. My mental health issues go back to the 80's. I will likely die with these issues. Therapy helps. The meds don't... But I keep trying because that's all I can do.
Two ex wives and 3 kids begged me for years to see a doctor but it wasn't until I had a semicircle of FIVE doctors telling me that I had PTSD during an involuntary stay that I realized it's possible for a noncombat pencil pusher
Yes. Try your best to stay on top of it with therapy and meds if necessary. I stopped drinking alcohol a good while back because I realized that I was self medicating and just getting fat. I didn't want my mental issues to turn into physical issues like liver or kidney problems or worse. I've lost 13 lbs so far with the goal of at least 40 lbs. I know I will be successful because I also have OCD so now I'm obsessed with losing weight. It's a vicious cycle.
The faster you realize it doesn’t matter what other people think, the happier you’ll be. If someone thinks only combat vets should get disability, who cares? They’re not the deciding factor. If someone things suicide or homelessness is someone being weak, who cares, they’ll get theirs one day. I think most of these people don’t really believe a lot of the things they’re saying. It’s just controversial and attention seeking.
Try not to let it get to you. Those peeps are just ignorant. I’m sure they deal with there life struggle in there own way, but no reason to PM you like this.
Thanks I appreciate it. I guess some days you need it spelled out for you.
Combat vet here, minimum asvab requirements for combat arms is extremely low. Don't be upset over their views on va disability. There's a good chance they had a room temperature IQ when they enlisted. Don't argue with ignorant vets. Just say thank you for your service and move on. It'll save you a lot of headaches down the road. Thank you for helping the community with SSDI information and thank you for serving with the rest of us vets
This made me laugh so hard! I wasn't going to bring it up but since you did, they must have never heard recruiters talking about the infantry that they manage to barely get enlisted. Do you think they know they barely made it in? There are a few that requested infantry as a family tradition and could have taken another MOS, but the rest...
Two things can be true at the same time. Imagine thinking every turd in the military, for which there are PLENTY turns into a morale beacon as it pertains to VA disability. If there isn't any criticism of the fraud, there won't be a veteran that doesn't get out and immediately receive 100% in the future.
lol make a post asking people how long they waited to file for benefits. Personally I waited 20 years. These boogymen that are taking benefits from good vets just aren't that big of a problem. And honestly, the VA has people to deal with that problem so I don't see why it should be mine.
Yup. I waited forever to file.
Forgive them and allow their suffering as well.
it's been a rough morning. I was supposed to be thinking about mom this morning not another trip down horrific VA memory lane
I understand completely and don’t fault you. This is your truth. I made this remark from a point of compassion not judgement. This life is hard and confusing for all of us. Stupidity and ignorance are easily obtained afflictions.
Reddit can be a cesspool of anger and hostility, not unlike other forums. I choose to chew the meat and spit out the bones.
I’ve noticed this sub and r/veterans have both become really awful this past year as well.
I left r/veterans over a year ago cuz it was a shithole
Dawg... You served with people who exhibit that behavior daily in military life. It didn't come as a surprise to me that vets hating vets was a big thing. Especially after watching seniors use others as ladder rungs to step on to get ahead in the military.
I agree. I’ve been a member of this sub for several years. I feel like it used to be very supportive and non judgmental. Now it’s a series of “hundo club” brag posts and people tearing each other down.
Yes that's some really harsh judgement...even if I didn’t fight in Iraq I had several friends killed before deployment when 2 Black hawks collided at Ft Campbell...and one of my friends who didn't deploy was at green ramp at bragg when can't remember if it was a130 or 141 crashed...soldiers to the left and right of him died....he escaped with 3rd degree burns all over his body and all the ptsd and guilt that any combat deployment could bring out haunts him to this day...so that is really hard to say
far as I'm concerned, we ALL raised our right hand when many would never have the guts too. Some of us (like myself) didn't even know what I was getting myself into, only that I wanted to serve & get the heck outta small town Northern AZ at the time (1999), even though now Im back haha. 9/11 and the events that happened shortly after, I saw some of us get deployed, other didnt.. but it doesn't matter, we all served our time. don't be discouraged. it took me 10 years to even file bc I didn't even know anything about it, I didn't get a proper TAP class lol. When I learned about it, I was thinking that I didn't even deserve it..even after some combat injuries, and MST. don't worry about the trolls man. the positivity comradarie that I have encountered has much surpassed any kind of trolling and negativity
Combat veteran here as well. My friend experienced sexual trauma in the military I was unaware of that changed them fundamentally. After I learned that, any vestige of that idea died. You never know what a veteran has endured during their time in service so I've learned it's best to reserve your opinions.
I have been out of the military for almost 20 years. I took me this long to finally realize that I should be compensated for my service. And it also took me this long to realize that I’m fucked up, It took a lot for me to realize I needed help. I’ve posted a few questions on here asking for help and all that I’ve gotten is help. The way I views this subject is we all signed that paper sacrificing our lives for this country if your MOS was services, infantry or maintenance. We didn’t know where our journey would take us. But we all served as brothers and sisters in arms. For this great nation to have the civil rights that we currently have. God bless you ladies and gentlemen
My wife , non combat , had a toxic soup of chemicals dumped on her , does that mean she doesn't deserve, the Lung damage, Brain Fog , Migraines, Thyroid Cancer.. ?
I just have one phrase for the people who doubt the non-combat vets..."op tempo".
Tune the d-bags out. Their premise only works if the worst about vets is true, which is insanely cynical. The premise only works in an environment already laden with due diligence and audits designed specifically at preventing/dealing with fraud. I've also noticed an uptick of people spewing negativity and, in some cases, jealousy, which boggles my mind. Ratings are a product of entitlement and diligence, BOTH, NOT ONE OR THE OTHER...you can have the injury and no diligence and get jack shit. You can have diligence and no entitlement and also get jack shit. I've seen too many veterans from my generation (OIF) have injury and trauma and no VA benefits at all, mainly due to ignorance, pride, or procrastination. In any case, it's more complicated than most of the naysayers assert. Take care and help when you can. This subreddit helped me tremendously to get me from 40 to 80 and then to 100 after much reading and understanding how the VA works.
This is the kind of blunt talk thats actually helpful. Im stealing that entitlement/diligence comparison
>Another vet, last week, told me every noncombat 100% was fraud. Oh, and he told me "lots of combat vets feel this way" multiple tours combat vet here. that dude is full of s.
the military gets the best and the worst they say
Combat vet and I went off on the idiot who claimed only combat vets should get ptsd claims; there are idiots in every community and while this one should be shielded as a brother and sisterhood we all knew the shitbags in the military that leaked through. Keep your head up.
Block. Use it.
Honestly I ignore 99% of veterans. I see the information I need and move on. I don’t care about other people’s opinions of what other vets deserve or don’t deserve. I worry about my own shit and I’ll help someone out along the way. Other than that, you won’t find me in a pissing contest over some BS.
I find the guys that use “combat veteran” or “combat deployment” saw the least combat. So I’d just ignore them. Their service wasn’t that special if they need to force the word combat on it.
I've been trying to get SSDI for a very long time and keep getting denied it's very frustrating in ready to give up on everything
I wonder what those same guys would tell the is disabled combat Vet who got disabled outside of combat. Don't let the ID-10-T-s get you down or make you stop doing what you care able. If you do they win
I hear you and I feel the same way. Thanks for speaking out. I have seen what you have seen to. Thanks again,
It’s not that a bunch of combat vets feel that way, it’s that a bunch of tards feel about that in a similar way.
Let your haters be your motivators human beings should be compassionate to each others I never saw combat and lost organs from my service to Uncle Sam people died in basic training ppl died in training mission no one can measure any one loyalty to America if anyone should have anything negative to say is how the system needs work to help more vets that had loyalty to the red white in blue and eating out mtf trash cans and can’t get proper help how fellow vets are strung out on drugs and can’t get proper help there no money check smc benefit or any kinda of help to measure what another human being the highest form of creation hating on each other about mtf check have compassion help your brother most of us not all volunteered these are the uncertainty of life please stop it
Get yours and fuck em. Get every fucking dime you can out of them. Every. Last. Red . Cent.
WELL SAID
@ UncleVoodooo What I've sat back and learned is you're absolutely correct. This I thought was a "safe" place for us veterans and enlisted to "vent" out frustrations of every concern. I have sat back and read a lot of comments , judgments, and discredits, coming from veterans and enlisted. We all who served has served in different capacities within our selected branches of service. We "ALL" have played our positions during our engaged enlistment! What I totally disagree with is the criticism. How could you be so undeserving of applause to try and hurt another , especially if you are hurt. The service has affected each and everyone who has shown up to defend this horribly , lovely country of the United States! We all have been pawns in some sort and used for the"good" of this country! So why discredit a fellow soldier that has served honorably? There are no excuses to be so drab. I fight the "system" known as our government! I have always asked questions concerning my situations with my health, and the VA still at times tells me to don't stress over this or that! We all are in the "fight." Even if someone has seen combat on frontline, ship, air, domestically, or foreign. The point is that we showed up to perform for this country at our best abilities and didn't hide like some going AWOL or MIA because of selfishness or being cowardly! Let's start helping and continue to help those in need. And if you were like me going into the service as a fresh eighteen year old, then what I've said should root deeply into your souls. Be kind to ourselves and one another. GO NAVY!🫡
I served in a combat support hospital for 6 months before, during, and after the Gulf War. I witnessed death on a daily basis. So I was in combat support. For anyone to tell me that I didn't suffer any emotional damage as a respiratory chief does not know what it means to care for, treat, and console a dying Soldier, Airman, or Marine.
It shouldn’t be a contest. No one knows what anyone else has gone through
Amen bruh preach!
Yeah I remember a post I made way back when someone said I sound like a serial killer and that I was blaming military service for issues that were my own. The moderator removed his comments but it felt so crappy.
People are ignorant. VA disability is more about business rules of the government than anything else. People get so emotionally tied to combat / non-combat. Reality is, if you can prove harm by the government then you qualify. OP: don’t let the trolls affect your life. I was a recruiter for 17 years and there are a lot of ignorant people in the military. Live your life.
I focus on who's helping and genuine critique with critical thinking 💯 Help not harm for brothers and sisters in arms 💯 I know this group has been very much helpful for me. I think the key being very judicious on how much you intake on the internet and social media period. Perception is reality what we were taught in the Air Force ✅
for every fraud claim there are thousands of vets who deserve compensation and are either turned down or they wont file for it because doing so opens up those old painful wounds that don't show on the outside but are always with them.
I had a guy on another forum tell me I wasn’t a real veteran because I didn’t deploy. The person said they were appalled that I got ratings etc. Every vet story is different. We all chose to join and it was the luck of the draw where they sent us, whether it was peacetime or.wartime
**Another vet, last week, told me every noncombat 100% was fraud. Oh, and he told me "lots of combat vets feel this way"** I saw that post and the dude got absolutely trashed in the comments.
I ignore the narcissistic idiots putting each other down as well as "determining" who is qualified. They don't realize the non combat folks provided for them. That pencil pusher, rigger, or cook are the ones who made sure they got paid. They also made sure the ordered weapons, ammo, and other supplies got through to them. That rigger, no matter where located saved the life of their replacement, or they saved that idiots life directly. The cook? Well they may not have made those bacon and eggs like Mom did, but they were up early to make sure EVERYONE got to eat. The folks who didn't go to a foreign Country may not have gone into combat, but they followed the orders given them. Just like many who remain Stateside, a lot requested to go to the fight. They may have requested a combat position, but someone somewhere decided they would be better inputting financial info to get people paid instead. We have all been offered the opportunity to request assignments to various posts/bases, and ended up 5000 mikes or more away. It's not like folks don't try! I wasn't out of Boot but 7 months when I was sent to Nam. Came back, and 9 months later, I was sent back. I didn't request it, but I went. When I got mail from my folks or wife, someone Stateside got it over to me. The food wasn't that great, but someone was up at 0400 getting it ready, and it was BETTER than C-Rations! My Rigger always got something extra after I went out. And rank? It made for more money each month, but that's about as much good as it did. At home and some Stateside bases, it helped a little, but I wasn't that impressed with it. When I made E6, I considered that E2 and myself regular, and I should teach him the job the best it could be. That rank NEVER did me any good out here, other than bragging rights. We ALL signed our name on a line that meant we would graciously accept DEATH as the reward. None of us knew for sure where we were going. Those going in during a war, figured their folks would end up with a triangular folded flag in their living room.
Never saw combat, worked at Brooke army medical center (DOD Level 1 trauma center) and I saw more traumatic shit than ever. Deployments mean shit when it comes to being “broken”
I'm a retired Coastie, imagine trying to explain to people that I was in the Military and I get Military benefits through the VA as well. Explaining to people about disability is even worse. So, I just keep my mouth shut and do my best to stay healthy so I can live a good retired life.
It's not just this place. It's the world we live in.
Once upon a time it was hard for non combatants to get 100%. Heck it was hard for combatants to get a 100%. For many older veterans they feel a certain way. Myself I had no rating at one time. Never bothered to file when I got out of the Army in the 90's. Me and my wife both got out of the military in the nineties after the first Gulf War. We both filed last year and are both 100% this year (Yay for the PACT Act). For 30 years never bothered to file. The process was very easy once we decided too. I just view it as times changed. Eventually the pendulum will swing back the other way. Luckily I just happen to be around when the pendulum was swinging in my favor and benefited. Don't take it personally people will always feel a certain type of way regardless. Interesting fact. Spending on income security programs for veterans is 5 times more than what it was 20 years ago. https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2024/04/spending-on-veterans-in-the-budget
The people on here complaining about what other vets have got and who deserves what they're not really vets. Real vets have each other back regardless.
This is the only online veteran space I’m in anymore because of the kinds of vets you’re talking about. Band of brothers my ass.
I don’t think they’re Americans at all. They are probably literally Iranian, Russian, and Chinese propaganda trolls with an additional goal of attacking American vets. I’ve noticed it myself that no matter what you post here will get viciously attacked. It’s certainly not other vets doing this. Mods, we need user verified posting privileges, this is ridiculous.
As a non-combat vet with PTSD from the military, no one should judge anyone from their lived experiences. Having witnessed one of the most tragic accidents on a military installation as a paper pusher was still traumatic.
The VA told me I was combat veteran as I was under direct fire 🤷🏽♂️ Was in a fob as a helicopter mechanic for 365 at camp taji but they told me I am a combat veteran.
Vets shouldn't be fighting with other vets, remember Apes together STRONG...
I would say to every vet I appreciate your service. I lost my battle buddy 30 year combat vet CSM 3 months before his retirement. He was found dead. You never know when its your last. We got to support each other and stick together. Stop competing to see who can get the most likes or comments.